Why Are You Conservative?
I thought this was a simple enough question when I first started asking it, but I was wrong. I also predicted there would be a reliably uniform response across demographics. That was wrong, too. From those 30 and under, I got answers varying anywhere from, "Because of Ronald Reagan," and "Because I'm pro-life," to "Obama sucks."
The wise older set, we'll call them, everyone 30 and over, I found, form their political beliefs around a more "faith oriented," or "moral construct" world view. Some of their answers ranged from, "I'm a strict constitutionalist," to "Jesus is a Republican." That last one I'm paraphrasing, because it was my uncle who said it, and his argument was so long, it needed intermissions.
So in the interest assuaging my curiosity, I'm throwing this out to Ricochet readers, why are you conservative? Obviously the scope of this question is limited to conservatives, but others may feel free to jump into the discussion, as well.
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Comments:
Oct '10
Re: Why Are You Conservative?
Wow, I get to lead off! I'm conservative because the reasons behind conservative positions are intellectual and require thought while the reasons behind Liberal positions are emotion and don't require thought. And I'd rather be a thinker, because I've seen how embarrassing it is when a feeling Liberal tries to defend his views. It ain't pretty.
It's rare to see a conservative cling to his viewpoint when proved wrong. It's axiomatic for Liberals to do so.
Edited on September 12, 2012 at 1:49amMar '11
Re: Why Are You Conservative?
Because it just makes sense. Conservatism is the lack of ideology. You don't have to invent reasons in your mind why it's OK to kill the unborn or take other people's money, or why it's wrong to defend your family with a lethal weapon. The list goes on. It's just common sense. The gag line that I sometimes use on an overbearing lefty is," You know, I used to be a liberal Democrat. But then an event occurred in my life that was so profound, so Earth shattering, that it caused me to see the world through a different lens." " Oh yeah? What was that?", the lefty asks. " I graduated from kindergarten." It's common sense that fits the reality that we live in.
May '11
Re: Why Are You Conservative?
Birds fly, fish swim, Mary Gauthier drinks and I am a conservative.
Sep '12
Re: Why Are You Conservative?
Because I know, through the study of history, what works and do not require experimentation with political and social policies to lead me to the correct conclusions.
Edited on September 12, 2012 at 2:21pmAug '10
Re: Why Are You Conservative?
Yes! I just barely made it into the "wise older set". Does this mean I'm too old to listen to the Young Guns podcast?
Mar '11
Re: Why Are You Conservative?
I understand where money comes from and I am able to comprehend basic math.
Sep '12
Re: Why Are You Conservative?
Because there are more things in Heaven and on Earth than in any philosophy I could construct.
Aug '12
Re: Why Are You Conservative?
I am a conservative because it cuts way down on the cognitive dissonance. I honestly don't understand how the average liberal can make it through the day without going insane.
Wait a minute....
Nov '10
Re: Why Are You Conservative?
The OJ Simpson trial. That was the straw that broke my supine liberal back.
Mar '11
Re: Why Are You Conservative?
I started out a wooly-headed Liberal, mainly through the indoctrination from popular culture. An Ethics class in college was the original impetus to the right: lefties are great at sloganeering, but they stink at logical argument. There was a girl who tried to defend her pro-life position based on her Christianity. The Progs made great sport of her, and that made me mad – embers of chivalry, probably. I argued a position that I didn't hold, and did so for long enough that in the end I managed to convince myself.
Surprisingly, for people who frequently decry religion, lefties have zero tolerance for what they perceive as heresy. One by one the idols fell, until one day I realized "aw, hell...I'm a Conservative."
Jan '12
Re: Why Are You Conservative?
Obama is about as corrupt as I can imagine, and I can't believe Biden is still allowed to walk around and keep talking the way he does. On the flip side I actually think Romney is a good person, and I like Paul Ryan, a lot. Those are my reasons for voting republican.
Dittoheadadt... I think you're confusing things. Liberals aren't somehow less virtuous or accepting than republicans, not by a long shot. Both parties represent the good and the bad in your post. The issue is that, for me at least, it seems like many Liberals vote based on social issues, while fewer (but still many) republicans vote on social issues.
I could care less about social issues when money comes into the equation. What the government wants to do with money is something everyone should agree on: Avoid corruption. Spend wisely. Save money. Encourage these three things in the populace and reward the populace for doing it.
So ditto, the points where I agree with your (almost shamefully biased) assessment are the ones about the people who don't wake up and realize social issues are meaningless when you're begging for pennies.
Edited on September 12, 2012 at 2:25amApr '12
Re: Why Are You Conservative?
Turns out the people I respect the most tend toward conservatism.
Aug '10
Re: Why Are You Conservative?
Because of Thomas Sowell. I can't count how many arguments he's constructed based on hard data about Policy X that's been tried in other nations, in other decades--a policy which Liberals argue will work here.
The thing is, Liberals have the best arguments! They really care about the little guy! Thus conservatives have to work harder at holding their positions, bitterly clinging to their stubborn facts. I don't know, in the fight between feelings and cold reason, feelings have to win most of the time. Sheesh. (But I am predicting a Rahe-Romney landslide!)
Jun '11
Re: Why Are You Conservative?
Combination of my upbringing, things I've read, people I've known......and having fought the looters, and lost.
Sep '12
Re: Why Are You Conservative?
For many, the better question is, "what made you political?" While a great many of us grew up leaning the political orientation that we do, if you're online talking politics, something must have been jarringly wrong that caused an epiphany.
For me, I think it was forest fires in California in the summer of 2001. I was watching CNN, and learned that President Bush advocated a plan to let private loggers cut the fire breaks necessary to prevent further "super-infernos." I think it was the Sierra Club issued a statement opposing the plan. They wanted the government to clear the breaks at taxpayer expense.
This struck me as bitterly spiteful. It occurred to me for the first time that they opposed lumber industry profits even when it clearly benefited everyone to let them clear paths in the woods.
That summer I read a bunch of Tom Clancy novels, which reinforced my awakening.
Feb '11
Re: Why Are You Conservative?
I haven’t the foggiest. For all I know, the efficient cause of my conservatism really is Alex P. Keaton. It was a show I very much loved when I was a kid. But who knows?
I can tell you why I think government’s scope should be limited. And I can tell you why I am pro-life. And I can tell you why this, that, or the other. Those opinions, held collectively, mean I am a conservative. (Perhaps they are the material cause.)
But why am I a conservative? As such. It isn’t because logic requires it. Teach logic to a socialist and you’ll have a very logical socialist. It isn’t because I have a warm or cold heart. It isn’t … well, every reason I can think of seems insufficient.
Apr '11
Re: Why Are You Conservative?
I'm 47, so I don't know where I fall on the wisdom/age scale. I grew up in a household that was conservative, but politics were never really talked about. I suspect my parents almost always voted Republican in presidential elections, but likely considered themselves more Independent than strictly Republican or conservative.
However, as I grew into young adulthood and began to pay attention to such things, I simply noticed that those people whose moral stands I disagreed with were usually Democrats. At some point I realized I was a conservative with libertarian leanings in some areas.
So, I guess my conservatism is based upon moral issues.
Oct '11
Re: Why Are You Conservative?
I grew up liberal, and was quite liberal in college and just after college. I didn't need to think about the issue; I was liberal.
After I moved to NYC in 2005, I began to drift to the right on national defense and the war on terror. I guess it finally sunk in that it could happen again...to me.
And then it turned out that on all the other issues...I was actually conservative....once I thought about them. Funny, how that happened.
I'm conservative because I thought about it.
I do believe that people can think about the issues and come to liberal conclusions. I'm not saying all liberal are thoughtless. Lots of them are, though (I was). And the ones who have thought through the issues and still call themselves liberal, well, they've come to the wrong conclusions, unfortunately.
Apr '11
Re: Why Are You Conservative?
I started down the conservtive road in college some 35 years ago. I become politically aware after getting involved in the Soviet Jewry movement. It was there I came to dispise communism and learned a great distrust of statism generally. But I didn't get into first priciples of conservatism and American constitutionalism until after September 11. I saw that my education in American history (and history in general) was pretty shoddy. It's been a love affair with self education and conservatism ever since.
Mar '11
Re: Why Are You Conservative?
A nation is simply too large and too complex to manage. Allowing each individual to manage the part of the nation he/she knows best will yield a better result. Furthermore, decentralizing power means mistakes or corruption impact fewer people than if mistakes were made by a large central authority.